I have a narrow, about 6", dishrack that suspends in my sink. It's a double sink :( and the rack takes up half of one, but things still fit underneath, so the sink is still usable. Because my under sink cabinet is smaller than normal :( it takes some finagling to fit the rack under there, so it pretty much lives over the sink. This actually works well for me, because if I use a vessel for measuring water, I just toss it in the rack to dry, when I empty the dishwasher in the morning I toss in the plastics that didn't dry, if I hand-wash something it doesn't take any counter space while drying.

Best 50 cents I ever spent at a rummage sale!

I have runnels in the countertop by the cleanup sink, so my counter is always piled high in the evenings. But I put everything away first thing when I wake up. Works for me!

bpathome: "rummage sale"! Growing up in PA that's the term we used, but since moving to MD we say "garage/yard sale". Sorry to hijack, it was such a strong blast from the past!

We have a bamboo dish rack that the boss likes. Below it is a bamboo matt that does well. We said that in the new kitchen we would not have a dish rack but we were wrong.

I set them on my stove which is frequently still slightly warm from dinner and the heat helps them dry faster.

I have a 36" stainless sink, that's split 60/40 and has racks in the bottom. If I get lazy and don't feel like drying hand washed items, they drip dry on one of the racks in the sink, out of sight :)

On a towel next to sink so they move off there fast. Otherwise, stuff is hanging around I find.

I use a gray micro fiber mat for drying that matches my kitchen/granite. Easy to fold up and toss it on top of the big pots and pan drawer when I'm done.

Do you mean while they're drying? If so, I put them on a black microfiber mat next to the sink - then when they're dry, I put them away even if I will use them again that night.

This is one of the neatest things I've seen. It's designed to hang on a rail, sold separately.

Ikea (where I found this) also has inexpensive wire racks that hang from a rail (not the same rail).

Here is a link that might be useful: Grundtal dish drainer

(Fouramblues, so funny! Here in the Midwest a rummage sale is at a church, school, etc, while a garage sale is at home, even if it flows into the yard it's still a garage sale. I hear of tag sales, is that like a garage sale? Love regional isms!)

AGK, in Europe sometimes a dish drainer is built into the cabinetry above the sink or just to the side, kind of like the Grundtal.

I have a small dish rack on one of those sloping underneath things that channels water back into the sink. I know it is old school and people hate them, but for me it is the right tool for the job. I have a 30" single bowl sink with a grid in the bottom. If I don't have anything else going on in the sink, it's a perfect place to dry things, esp. cookie sheets sitting on end.

I handwash plenty of things just because I will need them again before I run my DW (live alone and it only gets run maybe twice a week) or they're huge or it just seems stupid to run a machine when I can wash them myself in the time it takes to open the door and find room in the DW.

I don't really care what it looks like. I'm function over form.

Microfiber dish mat. Unfortunately my husband ventured into the home aisle and picked out another one - now he sometimes uses them both and piles the dishes REALLY high.

Our previous double bowl sink had one bowl totally dedicated to a dish rack sitting in it. Motivation was low to move stuff out of it. Now I find stuff gets dried and put away a lot faster.

I wouldn't mind finding something to keep in the sink to keep recyclables -- ok, who am I kidding -- empty wine bottles upright. This thread has motivated me to order to Boon Lawn to see if it works.

Robo, why do you want to keep recyclables anyplace other than a trash bin?

Not a fan of drainboards. I have a grid in my sink and sometimes I let stuff dry there (much to the disdain of my DH). Or, I lay a towel down and set the wet stuff there, then dry it right away and put it away.

I was just at Ikea this past weekend (love that place!) and picked up a colander that fits over the sink -- so far have been using it as a drying rack for quick wash-ups although I really did buy it to use for washing veggies. I also saw a small rack that fits into the sink (Boholmen dish drainer -- only $8).

But you asked about large items-- if the dishwasher is empty I put them in there with the door propped open a bit; otherwise I have a drying mat on the counter or put them in the oven -- I had to use the stove and oven before the reno, no other room!

sjhockeyfan - I rinse them out and drip dry them before they go in the bin. Keeps everything cleaner and a bit less smelly. You could practically eat out of my recycling bin! Not so much off my floors, unless you come over one minute after my cleaner leaves.

I think I mentioned before, trash is serious business up here in NS. Compost, trash, paper, recycling, cardboard are the five separate things our city mandates. Then I have another compost going for my compost pile and I separate out my refundable bottles and cans so the pickers can take them without rooting through my recyclables (a few mornings picking up recyling all over the street from a ripped open bag teaches you that trick). Without a garage it's hard to keep it all tidy.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Thu, May 1, 14 at 15:51

On towel next to the sink. I also don't want to have a place for things to hang out. Also on top of the stove. It gets put away before we go to bed.

Wanted something that wouldn't take up visual space in our new kitchen, so went with a flat, waterproof-liner type mat that stays out on the counter. They come in a number of colors, and just seem to blend into the space. Better than a towel, but still nice and flat.

I'm lazy so most things go in the dishwasher - cookie sheet trays included. For the few things that I do need to wash by hand, like knives - those are in the sink until they are washed (usually right after use) and then knives get towel dried and put away pretty much immediately. For some things, like my iced tea pitcher that can't go in the DW, it gets washed and then drip dries in the split side of the sink (I have grids in there so it keeps things raised up a bit).

All in all, I've found that there are very few things that get a place in my home if they can't go in the DW.

Mostly on a microfiber drying real. Sheet pans are propped on top of the gas stove.

We have a dish drainer that gets set on a microfiber mat by the sink. Although I have to tell you that the first time I saw a microfiber drying mat while visiting at my dad's house, I couldn't figure out why in the world his wife, who is fastidious, had a gray floor mat from their car sitting on the counter next to the sink! (Ohhhhh, it's a drying mat? Now I get it. Slow sometimes, that's me. LOL)

Friends that spent time in England told us that a lot of folks there don't have much space to have yard sales. So instead, they load up all of their wares into the trunks of their cars, which they don't call trunks, but Boots, and then they'll congregate in a public place for a "Boot Sale". : )

Normally they just go into the drying oven before storage.

What's a "drying oven"?